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Laghu Asvánika (Indian Light Cavalry)
These warriors are light skirmishing cavalry, and not intended for charging or fighting in melee. Description Armed with javelins and swords, the Indian light cavalry is very good for skirmishing duties and to pursue routing enemies. Though better soldiers than the mere levies that make up the bulk of Indian armies, these men are still no professional warriors. Along with their javelins, they carry small cavalry shields, which resemble the bell-shaped infantry shields, but are smaller and with a rounded bottom. Just like the infantry's shields, they are made of leather on a wooden frame, and either painted or covered with leather straps as reinforcement. They also wield swords for use in melee. Like the levies, most are dressed in their everyday clothing, some with shirts on, while others fight bare-chested. Some wear the particular short shirts that are seen on the Ajanta murals, which leaves the abdomen bare, but covers the upper thorax area. Unlike the infantry, they do not wear any armour at all, as these men are intended for skirmishing duties, and not engaging in melee. Some wear protective turbans, which might help to deaden blows to the head, while others have the characteristic Indian hair knots. They ride well-bred Kambojan horses, which were famed for being excellent war horses. Some of the earliest known stirrups can be seen on Indian monuments, but far from all riders used them, and these relatively light cavalry units had not the same need for such devices as the heavier cavalry used for melee. Some do have saddles, probably reinforced with wood, but most just use a piece of cloth or leather. These warriors are light skirmishing cavalry, and not intended for charging or fighting in melee. They are primarily used for support and screening purposes, and will quickly break if caught in close combat by enemy troops. They are best used for harassing the enemy's flanks and their speed makes them excellent for chasing down routing enemy units. Historically, cavalry played a rather minor role in ancient Indian armies, although it was slightly more important in the northwestern parts of the subcontinent. Still, cavalry was most certainly present in all Indian armies, as can be attested to by their appearance on several monuments, such as the stuphas at Sanchi and Barhut, and on the Ajanta murals. The great majority of the horsemen seen on these monuments are light cavalry, armed with javelins and short spears, and unarmoured. Though relatively seldom mentioned in the epics, cavalry was considered one of the arms of the classical "Four-Armed Army", or Caturangabala. Their role was primarily supportive, though, and in the Arthashastra, Kautilya states that skirmishing and pursuing routing enemies are the main tasks of the cavalry. The role of shock troops was instead given to the elephants and chariots. Only later, with the development of heavier cavalry types, did horsemen play any significant role in battle. Nevertheless, light cavalry of this type remained a part of Indian armies for scouting or skirmishing purposes until medieval times. Other empires that conquered India also made use of the warriors they could muster there. Indian warriors were likely present at Thermopylai as part of the Achaemenid army, and later dynasties that ruled north-west India, such as the Baktrians, Sakas and Kushanas, were not slow to incorporate these warriors into their armies. Category:Units Category:Units available only in EB2 Category:Baktria Category:Takashila